by Maureen Totterer

Created on: April 05, 2010   Last Updated: October 11, 2010

The book of Revelation in the Bible speaks about a future one world order with one currency and one religion. It doesn't seem possible in our world today considering all the different religions which are, for the most part, light years apart in terms of possible common ground. Unless, however, one considers Humanism.

Recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court as a religion in Torcaso v. Watkins, 1961, footnote 11: "Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism and others."

"Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice and specifically rejects rituals and ceremonies as a means to affirm a life stance. The term was coined in the 20th century to make a clear distinction from "religious humanism." A perhaps less confrontational synonym is scientific humanism, which the biologist Edward O. Wilson claimed to be "the only worldview compatible with science's growing knowledge of the real world and the laws of nature."

"While some humanists embrace calling themselves secular humanists, others prefer the term Humanist, capitalized and without any qualifying adjective. The terms secular humanism and Humanism overlap, but have different connotations. The term secular humanism emphasizes a non-religious focus, whereas the term Humanism deemphasizes this and may even encompass some non-theistic varieties of religious humanism. The term Humanism also emphasizes considering one's humanism to be a life stance."

"Secular humanism is a broad philosophic position and not simply a statement about belief or non-belief in God. As such, it is inaccurate to identify secular humanism as being the same thing as non-theism, atheism, or agnosticism. While secular humanists are generally non-theistic, atheist, or agnostic, the converse may not be true. Many non-theists, atheists, and agnostics adhere to the tenets of secular humanism, but this is not intrinsically the case."

"Secular humanism has appeal to atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, empiricists, objectivists, rationalists, skeptics and materialists, as well as to some Buddhists, LaVeyan Satanists, Hindus and Confucians."

While the different pre-fixes attached to Humanism confuse and distract; scientific, secular or religious, Humanism climbs in the rankings as a possible one world religion for everyone. Humanism should drop the pre-fixes and come out of the veiled darkness into the light of what Humanism really is, a religion.

Sources:  http://timothyministries.org/theologicaldictionary/r eferences, U.S. Supreme Court: Torcaso v. Watkins, 1961, footnote11, Book of Revelation, NKJV

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